Volume 2/Number 1

1999

New A & S dean assumed role July 1

Thomas M. DiLorenzo, former professor and chair of the Department of Psychology at the University of Missouri-Columbia, was named dean of UD's College of Arts and Science effective July 1.

The College of Arts and Science is the largest of the University's seven colleges, with majors ranging from anthropology to women's studies. Currently, 9,461 full- and part-time students are enrolled in the college, including 8,339 undergraduates and 1,122 graduate students.

"Prof. DiLorenzo brings an impressive academic and research record to the University of Delaware," Provost Mel Schiavelli said in announcing the appointment. "He has a demonstrated ability to lead, and I am most impressed that, while taking on such a leadership role at the University of Missouri, he continued to teach undergraduates in entry-level courses. I look forward to working with him as we take the College of Arts and Science into a new century."

Margaret P. Andersen, who has been serving as interim dean of the college for the last two years, will return to the faculty in the Department of Sociology after a year's sabbatical.

At the University of Missouri-Columbia, DiLorenzo is credited with greatly strengthening academic productivity and recognition. He has played an active role in university-wide initiatives to strengthen academic program quality, enhance multicultural education and extend research, graduate education and grant dollars. This spring, he was awarded one of the university's $10,000 Kemper Fellowships for Teaching Excellence.

DiLorenzo is a clinical psychologist whose research interests are in health psychology with an emphasis on addictive behaviors, mostly revolving around tobacco use. His current research centers on smoking cessation, and he has been continuously funded from 1985-1998. He has had over $5 million in grants, mostly from the National Institutes of Health.

He also has studied the effects of exercise-induced fitness change on mood, the prevention of smokeless tobacco use during adolescence, prenatal care smoking intervention and the effects of nicotine withdrawal on eating behavior.

Additional research interests are the interface of primary care and behavioral health in relation to quality care and reduction of costs.

DiLorenzo also is an ad hoc reviewer for a multitude of publications and is widely published in such journals as Preventive Medicine, Behavior Therapy, the Journal of Behavioral Medicine and the American Journal of Epidemiology.

DiLorenzo holds a bachelor of science degree in psychology and a bachelor of arts degree in economics, both from the University of Pittsburgh; and master's and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, with a minor in research design and methodology, both from West Virginia University. He completed his internship in clinical psychology at the University of Mississippi and Jackson Veterans Administration medical centers.

A native of western Pennsylvania, DiLorenzo and his wife have two children, ages 12 and 16.